Purging the Red Mist
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Purging the Red Mist
Angleteric-Inimician Covert Summit [[IC SECRET]]
Basil Lawson, Imperial Councillor, stared at the passing southeastern Inimician countryside. Every other minute, he would feel his chest pocket, to see if it was still there. The writ he had received from Vicarius Wilfred Cocx, authorising him to negotiate covertly with the Angleterics, was still firmly in place. At his side, Prince-General of the Imperial Army Lord Thomas Purdue, and behind him, the Provincial Legates for Terra Rosarum, Robert Krahmer, and for Terra Diutius, Maj-Gen Dr Henry Luyt. Together, they were the representatives of the Imperial Defence Council and the National Imperial Council. Together, they had the power to make or break Inimicus's strategy in the region. Together, they would avenge their Emperor.As the black limousine sped southeastwards, towards the Inimician-Angleteric border, Lawson found himself thinking of the implications of the meeting he was about to attend. He was one of Inimicus's most long-serving politicians, and along with his key allies, Foreign Officer Sarah Gladwell and Vicarius Wilfred Cocx, he had co-ruled the nation for the past eight years. Yet he had never attended a meeting quite like this one. Over the last few days, messages and communications had crossed the border between Inimicus and its southern neighbour, Angleter. The Inimician-Angleteric relationship had always been courteous, though never extremely friendly, and both nations tended to stick to themselves more than to each other. Today, that would change - at least temporarily.
The growing evidence that Neo-Venetia either harboured terrorists capable of shooting down commercial - and official - jet aircraft, or that they did so themselves, naturally drew Inimicus and Angleter together in a mutual distrust, dislike, and fight against, their common neighbour. Ever since communists had declared sovereignty over Neo-Venetia, originally - and, in Lawson's eyes, rightfully - an Angleteric territory, Inimicus had completely cut contact with the Neo-Venetian authorities and closed the borders to all traffic. Today, the tiniest movements of the gears of international politics may commence, movements which would eventually turn Neo-Venetia back on the righteous course of history, and which would finally bring justice to the Inimician people, whose Emperor was so cruelly maimed.
The cars crossed the border into Angleter at the pre-arranged location and stopped just outside a delapidated-looking shack, half covered with sand and dust from the hill it was set against. Lawson and the three military commanders entered the shack and the concealed facility hidden in the hill, passing the Angleteric guards with polite nodds. The men were served water and directed to their places at a large rectangular table. Lawson knew he would need frequent breaks if this was where the meeting was to be held: his claustrophobia meant he already saw the grey, pale walls closing in on him. He loosened his tie somewhat. Turning to his colleagues, he said: "All ready, gents?"
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Emryc Isla didn't know this shack in the Maronite hills existed. AIC had several of these black sites across the country, which it used for a variety of purposes, and which it generally didn't feel the need to tell elected officials about. Emryc thought about asking if it was the first time one of these sites had been used for actual Government business. Then he realised that, even if it wasn't, they probably wouldn't tell him.
The small, remote shack with its incongruously sterile interior was perfect for its purpose, though. This meeting wasn't meant to be public. Emryc felt like he was walking an ever-thinner tightrope, and publicity risked knocking him off it. At home, Emryc's minority government was weaker than ever. In Europolis, Angleter had more or less switched off from regional politics, and Emryc's support base was pressuring him to either withhold Angleter's EU budget contributions or leave the EU altogether; both suggestions that would instantly see his government brought down by the other parties in Parliament.
But Angleter's neighbours were giving Emryc his biggest headaches. The stalemate in Dromund Kaas continued. Inimicus had been rocked by Emperor Artabanos' plane crash. And Neo-Venetia, that elusive last piece of the Angleteric jigsaw, had been seized by a rogue Communist regime. Emryc knew this was a rare opportunity to reunite the nation, but he, like all Angleteric politicians, was scarred by the catastrophic attempt to annex Neo-Venetia in 2008. That effort led to a humiliating withdrawal, the threat of invasion by multiple great powers, and the collapse of Monty Catt's government. This time, Emryc was determined to act slowly, carefully, and definitely not unilaterally.
The news that the Neo-Venetian Communists might have something to do with the instability in Inimicus intrigued Emryc. Inimican consent for an Angleteric operation in Neo-Venetia was likely in any case, but the more enthusiastic the consent, the better. The more compelling the case for taking down the Neo-Venetian Communists, the better. Emryc felt like resolving his and his country's problems would be like solving a Rubik's cube. He felt this meeting could be the first move.
As the Inimican delegation entered, Emryc stood up to greet them.
"Imperial Councillor, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry we couldn't find more comfortable surroundings. I'd like to introduce you to Sergius Bowrell, our Defence Minister; Nigel Martin, our Foreign Affairs Minister; Alice Montgraf, our National Security Minister; and Field Marshal John Gemayel, the Chief of Staff of the Combined Committee of the Royal Angleteric Armed Forces."
"Perhaps you could start, Imperial Councillor, by telling us what intelligence your country has gleaned?"
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The Inimicians, entering the narrow and stuffy underground room, shook hands with their Angleteric counterparts. "Mr Isla, Ministers, Field Marshal, thank you for welcoming us to your nation, even in such a covert way", Basil Lawson began. Lawson had attended, chaired, and disrupted hundreds if not thousands of high-level meetings both nationall and internationally, yet for some reason, this one appeared to him more important, more grand, more crucial, than any other.
The sight of his political idol, the man he had put so much faith in, being brought down by a foreign surface-to-air missile, was one he had not been able to eliminate from his retina, even weeks after the incident. He was determined to set things straight - determined, and fully authorised. He understood fully the potential consequences of this meeting, the lives that may be lost, but he had never shied away from things like that.
"We would be happy to elucidate the reasons that caused the Imperial government to seek this meeting, Mr Isla, and to share the main points of the joint findings of the Imperial Transportation Safety Association, ITSA, the Imperial Constabulary, and the Investigation Unit of the Imperial Guard, IG-IU.
"First of all, to summarise events, on 6th July 2020 His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, Imperial Defence Officer Jacob Churchill, as well as four Imperial Councillors and around 30 other passengers, took off on the first commercial flight of the Inimician supersonic jet, named Needletail One. Take-off was at 2:22pm at Orbis Terrarum airfield, just north of the Inimician-Angleteric border; the target destination was Portus Inimici military airfield on Inimicus's west coast. At 2:39pm. Needletail One was struck indirectly by a surface-to-air missile, exploding approximately halfway up the starboard wing. The missile appears to have been partly faulty, as the wing did not disintegrate fully and neither did the fuselage. Significant damage was done to the wing, however, forcing the pilots to make an emergency crash landing at Portus Inimici airport. Thirty-four passengers did not survive, including three Imperial Councillors and IDO Churchill. His Imperial Majesty was gravely injured, but extracted from the wreckage successfully.
"Subsequent analyses by ITSA and IG-IU first suggested the missile in question was launched from North Diessen, and indeed initial chemical analysis of missile fragments in the plane fuselage appeared to suggest foreign manufacture. Retracing of the missile flight path through eyewitness testimony and satellite imaging, however, have led to the solid conclusion the missile launch site was located just across the Inimician-Venetian border. As you will be aware, Mr Isla, the Neo-Venetian communists do not appreciate a powerful monarch like our Emperor - their motive is clear. The fragments ITSA extracted from the wreckage match what we know Neo-Venetian armed forces use, satellite photographs show the missile path from moments after launch. We are certain.
"Currently, IG-IU is working on identifying the exact units and personnel involved in this missile launch, as well as tracing the chain of command that set this horrendous attack in motion. As you will understand, gentlemen, we want Neo-Venetia to pay. We must return stable and co-operative government to our common neighbour. Inimicus also understands the fallout of the 2008 Angleteric actions in Neo-Venetia, and we are keen not to repeat the mistakes made over a decade ago. The Imperial Government has authorised me to discuss what actions we can take, should take, indeed, must take, to ensure the Neo-Venetian authorities cannot repeat such gross offences."
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"I see. Certainly Angleter has no objection to Inimicus informing the public about each stage of this investigation as it sees fit. It's quite clear that the regime in Neo-Venetia have zero intention of behaving peacefully, and the more people that are aware of their crimes, the better."
"We know that the regime seized power by shooting down the previous Prime Minister's helicopter. The fact that they've extended this modus operandi to their neighbours' heads of state is deeply concerning, especially given the fact that, during the course of the coup, the Communists co-opted elements of the Social Republican Party, which committed terrorist attacks in Angleter in 2009. Given the animosity of all Neo-Venetian separatist authorities towards Angleter, we cannot tolerate the belligerence of this new regime."
"Angleter has, for some months, been planning an operation to remove the Neo-Venetian Communists and pacify the area. We are, as you say, cognisant of the importance of not acting rashly, but it will be difficult, from the perspective of our national security, to justify more than a few more weeks of inaction. In terms of the operation itself, Inimicus' diplomatic support is extremely welcome. At this point, we would only ask that you secure your borders and stand ready to stop and, where appropriate, arrest any Neo-Venetian terrorists or insurgents who attempt to cross into Inimicus."
"In terms of what follows, we intend to form a provisional civilian government to work alongside the relevant military authorities, and oversee a political process that will lead, in our view, to a treaty formally incorporating Neo-Venetia into Angleter, guaranteeing that Inimican investigators can freely investigate the attack on Emperor Artabanos' plane on Neo-Venetian territory, and guaranteeing the extradition to Inimicus on request of any Neo-Venetian residents whom your country suspects of involvement in the attack."
"It is, we believe, vital that this be recognised as the regional action it is, and that the rest of Europe does not labour under the misunderstanding that this is a repeat of 2008. To that end, we also intend to approach the Duxburians before commencing the operation. We envisage that some territorial concessions will be made to the DU, and I'd be eager to hear your thoughts on that, as well as about the process in general."
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"Thank you for your explanation, Mr Isla. Naturally, Angleter can count on Inimicus's full support in its actions against the current Neo-Venetian regime, whether that support be diplomatic, material, or otherwise. It is indeed concerning to hear about the Neo-Venetians' incorporation of the Social Republican Party into their ranks - in Inimicus we know all too well the tragedies that occured in Angleter in 2009 by their hands. If the Angleteric government requires any of the highly extensive and specialised counter-terrorism resources the Imperial Guard Investigation Unit has at its disposal in the future, do not hesitate to let us know.
"I agree that it will be important to keep a relatively low profile during the operation you propose - the last thing we should want is an all-out, lasting war that destabilises our region even further. I wonder, Mr Isla, if you could elaborate on the specific actions Angleter has planned. Will these operations you have been planning consist of infiltration-like, almost covert actions, or will an open and swift occupation of the Neo-Venetian capital occur, followed by the capture of the Neo-Venetian leadership? The understanding of the Duxburian authorities in this matter is, I think, very much required.
"Very well, Inimicus will be on high alert at its border with Neo-Venetia until your new civilian administration is in place. If, at any point during or after the operations you intend to execute, Angleter needs any type of Inimician assistance whatsoever, from access to landing strips and resupply bases close to Neo-Venetia, to manpower or military assistance, well, you know where to find us. We would be more than keen to help out.
"You already mentioned one of the most important results of a regime change in Neo-Venetia from Inimicus's side: Inimicus's investigative authorities must be granted unrestricted access to important sites in the investigation of the attempt on our Emperor's life. The Imperial Transportation Safety Association has already identified four key sites just along the Venetian-Inimician border that they consider essential for a fully-rounded investigation to be completed.
"Now, IG-IU also requested me to mention that, when ITSA identifies the key suspects they consider guilty of shooting down our Emperor, IG-IU intends to conduct extraction operations on Neo-Venetian soil if and when these suspects can be captured. Likely, these individuals will be several mid-level military officers as well as one or two individuals slightly higher up the chain of command, those who gave the orders for the hideous actions that led us to meet here today. Naturally, Imperial authorities have no intention of preventing or obstructing Angleteric plans in any way, which is why I am asking for your thoughts here. If necessary, either of these fine military gentlemen I have brought with me can elaborate on our plans in great detail."
